Auburn comes to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday for the first time since 2022, two weeks after winning in Athens and one week after a lopsided loss to LSU. Ole Miss beat that LSU team in September and is a double-digit favorite. Kickoff is 11 a.m., in a building that held roughly 70,000 for LSU and expects 68,000 to 69,000 even then.
Locked On Ole Miss host Steven Willis argued the Rebels’ problem is their own. Trinidad Chambliss threw for 213 yards against Missouri and opened at Texas 6-of-18 with two interceptions. Willis said what defenses take away is forgivable, as were three dropped deep balls in Austin. The open misses are not: a receiver running free across the middle, a throw four yards behind him.
The Locked On Auburn host was blunter about his own team. Auburn has not started fast on either side of the ball all season, he said, some of it self-inflicted through pre-snap penalties, and he wants better defensive back and offensive line play. He called the interior offensive line the pivotal matchup: the center has struggled, and both guards were benched mid-season for a transfer and a freshman.
That left a conditional. Auburn needs help to win, he said, whether an Ole Miss turnover, a fumble or bad penalties, and its quarterback would have to play the game of his life behind a line that has struggled to run. Willis pointed inside at Will Echoles, Jamarious Brown and Jehiem Oatis, and at Makhi Frazier, who carried six times for 47 yards at Texas.
Willis also noted Auburn’s defense does much of what Texas did, with different players, so the throws that hurt Chambliss could resurface. He predicted 38-7, Auburn’s touchdown arriving late. The Locked On Auburn host went lower, 28-14.
Photo: Kam Franklin, Will Echoles and Keaton Thomas, September 26, 2026, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images.
Adapted from the October 29, 2026 episode of Locked On Ole Miss, hosted by Steven Willis, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Watch the full episode.